Key takeaways from NFDA 2025 — from digital transformation to community, coffee, and the future of funeral services.
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Events like the recent 2025 NFDA International Convention and Expo, offer a unique opportunity to connect, learn, and take the pulse of a profession that’s steadily embracing tech and innovation.
This year’s event was one of the busiest, most engaging, and most inspiring yet.
And with news to share - of our expanded funeral home software offering, and our recent acquisition of the HMIS funeral and cemetery management platform - our booth enjoyed a steady stream of traffic, with high-quality conversations over many cups of coffee.
Now, with the dust settled and a little new found perspective, here are a few of the things we learned:
If there was one clear takeaway, it’s that engagement across the profession is stronger than ever.
Several of our team members compared traffic levels to other major industry shows - a sign that interest, optimism, and investment are on the rise.
The event maintained an energy throughout, with visitors actively seeking out meaningful conversations about how technology can help create efficiencies.
Those we spoke to were curious, open, and looking for real solutions.
These interactions also reinforced our standing as one of the industry’s leading tech providers. The quality of conversations made it clear that innovation is becoming central to how funeral services think about their operations and the families they serve.
By far, the biggest crowd-pleaser was our coffee station - and not for nothing, turned into much more than a caffeine fix.
As much as anything, these events are about connection, and the steady line of delegates waiting for their drinks gave our team a natural way to start meaningful conversations.
Those short interactions often led to longer discussions about challenges, needs, and opportunities for digital transformation.
The lesson? Thoughtful experiences - even something as small as a cup of coffee, can open doors to meaningful dialogue and connection.
One of the most encouraging observations from our team was a noticeable shift in perception.
Few attendees asked, “Why is PlotBox, the cemetery company, at a funeral home event?”
And that’s because - hopefully - the message that we can offer something of real value to the funeral services market - especially combo operations or those with multiple locations, seeking to connect their operations - is out there.
That’s progress. It shows that our expanded offering is resonating.
And this was reflected in the many conversations we had with funeral services providers - from data management to digital workflows - our funeral home software solutions bring everything together via a single source of truth.
This growing recognition marks an important evolution: PlotBox is being seen as a complete deathcare technology partner.
Despite the enthusiasm, it’s clear there’s still work to do in helping many operators modernize.
A number of attendees shared that their businesses remain heavily reliant on paper-based processes or outdated systems. Recurring themes included:
While many acknowledged the need to modernize, some still find it “too easy to do nothing.” This highlights both the challenge and opportunity ahead - helping funeral homes move from awareness to action through education, partnership, and clear value and return in investment.
Across multiple conversations, one thing stood out: in this profession, word-of-mouth matters.
Funeral directors and business owners trust each other’s experiences - and that’s something we see throughout our conversations with our global cohort. Positive word of mouth can open doors, while poor experiences spread quickly.
For PlotBox, this reinforces a key focus - ensuring our customers not only succeed, but share their experiences. Peer-to-peer advocacy remains one of the most effective ways to build trust and grow adoption across the profession.
Cremation continues to rise, particularly among larger operators and consolidators, and with it comes new expectations for tech solutions.
We heard growing interest in advanced public-facing interfaces - tools that simplify how families engage with cremation services online. This area represents a major opportunity, especially for consolidators, as the industry continues to seek more integrated and user-friendly experiences that meet the evolving needs of families.
This event was one of the first major opportunities to speak with the market about our recent MIS acquisition, and the response was positive.
MIS clients who stopped by were curious, open, and optimistic about what comes next. Others viewed the acquisition as proof of PlotBox’s commitment to the funeral home space and the broader mission to provide unified, end-to-end solutions.
It was an encouraging sign that our expansion strategy is being well received - and that the market is ready for what’s next.
Another theme that came through clearly - both from our conversations and from other vendors - was a focus on making life easier for staff.
Efficiency and digitization aren’t just about saving time or money; they’re about reducing stress, improving communication, and giving professionals more time to serve families better - or as we often say - more time for what matters.
Seeing so many exhibitors prioritizing user experience, data quality, and operational ease reinforced that the industry’s transformation is driven as much by empathy as it is by technology.
Beyond the booth, the event offered countless moments of connection - from educational seminars to the DeathCare Collective meet-up - a particular highlight - which celebrated the inspiring women who are helping to shape the profession.
Our team left not just with leads and insights (always welcome of course!), but with a renewed sense of community and a deeper appreciation for the people driving progress.
As we reflect on what we learned, one thing is certain: the profession is evolving, and ready for change.
Funeral homes, combos, consolidators, cemeteries and crematories are all looking for better ways to serve families and manage operations - and technology is now seen as essential to that objective.
Our continued growth, our expanding offerings, and our strengthened relationships across the profession are proof that we’re moving in the right direction - together.
Ultimately, events like this remind us that progress doesn’t happen in a single leap. It happens in conversations, in collaboration, and sometimes - over a simple cup of coffee.
Here’s to continuing those conversations, driving innovation, and helping shape the future of deathcare.
See you next year!
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